Today we continue our People behind the Product series. In this interview we meet Jim Straatman, Logos’ IT Manager. As you’ll see, Jim is an avid biker. However, what didn’t make the cut in today’s video are Jim’s mad scooter skills. A lesser known fact about the IT department is that there is a large space in the work area that is perfect for scooter races. It’s no Indy 500, but winning a few laps around the desks can earn you some serious respect. Next time you drop by our office, be sure to challenge Jim to a race.
Understanding Radical Islam
| Fri, October 24, 2008 | Misc.
Today’s guest blogger is Adam Navarrete, who works in the marketing department here at Logos.
I want to thank everyone that came out to our last lecture with Arnold Fruchtenbaum—it was a packed house! Can you believe that it’s time for another lecture already? I am really excited about this lecture as I have heard nothing but great things about Professor Zylstra—and the topic looks to be quite interesting: “Understanding Radical Islam.”
About the Lecture
Many people in Western democracies know little about Islam, especially the beliefs of some of its minority groups. Professor Clarence Zylstra of Whatcom Community College has taught political science and history for over thirty years. In this lecture, professor Zylstra focuses on the beginnings of Islam, its historical radicalization, and how Islamic eschatology is a driving force behind the Islamo-fascism mounting a threat to the West today.
About This Month’s Speaker
Professor Clarence Zylstra was born in Holland in 1930 and lived there through World War II and the Nazi occupation. In 1948 he immigrated to the United States. He served in the U.S. Army as a linguist from 1951 to 1952. Following his discharge he became a dairy farmer in Everson and student at Western Washington University. Upon obtaining a master’s degree in Economics, History and Political Science, he became an instructor at Whatcom Community College where he has taught for more than 30 years.
Event Details
- Title: “Understanding Radical Islam”
- Speaker: Professor Clarence Zylstra
- Date: Monday, October 27
- Time: 7:00 PM
- Location: Mount Baker Theatre in Bellingham, Washington
- Cost: Admission is free!
There’s just one lecture left before 2009! Check the lecture page for updated information.
Hope to see you there on Monday night!
People behind the Product
| Thu, October 23, 2008 | Misc.
I’m a people person. Maybe it comes from my years as a college pastor, but I really love to just sit down and hear people’s stories. Finding out the little (and big) things in people’s lives makes me appreciate them at a level that is deeper than the passing, “Hey, how ya doing? Nice weather today, huh?”
So, as a new employee at Logos, I’ve enjoyed getting the chance to meet lots of new people. It got me thinking that maybe some of you would like to meet them as well. I mean, sure, knowing that the VP of marketing is a die hard Flyers fan and top-notch ping pong player or that most of the customer service department has a Nerf gun at their desk won’t help you with your Anderson-Forbes syntax resources or getting more out of your Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary but it might help you get to know some of the people who help make Logos more than just a software company.
With that in mind, we’re going to start a regular feature on the Logos blog that will introduce you to some of the people behind Logos Bible Software. From kite surfers to PhDs, you’ll get a chance to see Logos from a whole new angle. We hope you enjoy it.
For our first video I want to introduce you to Deborah. Deborah is a member of our customer service department and has been with Logos for a little over a year. Here is some footage from when I stopped by her desk the other day.
Logo, Logo’s, and Logos
| Wed, October 22, 2008 | Misc.
If you’ve watched our company video or talked with us on the phone multiple times, you’re probably aware of the various ways we pronounce our name. Some say Lŏgŏs, others say Lōgōs, and a few say Lōgŏs.
Which is it? As Eli so aptly put it, “It doesn’t matter how you say it. It’s Lōgōs, Lŏgŏs, Lōgŏs. It’s all good.”
Take the poll and let us know how you say it.
There are two other variations of our name that I’ve come across several times lately—not in pronunciation, but in spelling: Logo’s Bible Software and Logo Bible Software. Both of these assume that the first word in our name has something to do with a logo (i.e., “a symbol or emblem that acts as a trademark or a means of identification of an institution or other entity”).
It’s easy to understand why people would think this since logo is a very common English word, and our name comes from a Greek word that may be unfamiliar to many.
If it’s still Greek to you, then now’s your chance to learn a little about the Greek word λόγος (i.e., logos)—and the meaning behind our name.
Λόγος is a noun that occurs 330 times in the Greek New Testament. It’s most basic meaning is “word,” “speech,” “utterance,” or “message.” It’s used of Jesus as the Word (i.e., Jn 1:1, 14; Rev 19:13). It’s also used to refer to the Bible or some portion of the Bible as the Word of God (e.g., Mt 15:6; Lk 5:1; 8:21; 11:28; Jn 10:35-36; Ac 6:2, 7; Heb 13:7). Commonly it has specifically in view the preeminent word or message from God, namely the gospel (e.g., 1 Thes 1:5-6, 8).
So that’s what the Logos in Logos Bible Software is all about—the Word of God.
Join Us on LinkedIn
| Thu, October 9, 2008 | Misc.
We recently created a new LinkedIn group for Logos Bible Software users. If you are a member of LinkedIn and use Logos, we invite you to join our group.
If you aren’t sure what LinkedIn is and want to learn more, watch the video below.
For more on the benefits of LinkedIn, you’ll find tons of useful ideas in Linked Intelligence’s 100+ Smart Ways to Use LinkedIn.
By the way, we’re on Facebook, too. Check out our profile, our business page, and our groups:
Announcing BibleTech:2009!
| Fri, September 19, 2008 | Misc.
Today’s guest blogger is J. D. Elgin, a new addition to the marketing team and the organizer of this year’s BibleTech conference.
Back in January Logos hosted BibleTech:2008. BibleTech is a conference for people interested in the intersection of the Bible and technology. We were blown away by the result of this conference this year. The presentations were pertinent and timely, and the networking opportunities were absolutely priceless. And BibleTech:2008 participants were nearly unanimous in wanting to make this conference an annual event.
So we’re happy to be announcing BibleTech:2009!
The conference will take place on Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28 in scenic Seattle, WA. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend! We are anticipating a bigger turnout with an even better outcome than last year.
BibleTech is geared for anyone with specialization, or serious interest, in the intersection of Bible study and technology. If you are involved in web design, software development, open source programming, biblical language or Bible study software development—or even if you are simply interested in the latest news from this incredible field and want to meet the people who make it all happen—plan to join us at BibleTech:2009.
We are now accepting proposals for conference presentations. If Bible and technology are your specialties, we invite you to submit a proposal.
We have updated the conference website. For the latest information, including a list of past presenters, visit BibleTechConference.com.
To stay informed with all the latest news about BibleTech, sign up for the BibleTech email list. Just send us an email, and we’ll get you added.
We hope you’re as excited about BibleTech:2009 as we are. And please help us make this a spectacular event by spreading the word!
Two Free Lutheran Lectionaries!
| Fri, September 5, 2008 | Misc.
Thanks to the initiative of our friends at Concordia Publishing House, we are pleased to make available to you two Lutheran lectionaries:
- Lutheran Service Book: One-Year Lectionary
- Lutheran Service Book: Three-Year Lectionary
And they are absolutely free!
If you have one of our base packages that includes the Lectionary Viewer Addin (i.e., any Logos Bible Software 3 base package except for the Original Languages Library), then all you need to do is click the Download button on the Lutheran Lectionaries page or run Libronix Update from the Tools menu in Libronix.
If you have a base package that doesn’t include the Lectionary Viewer Addin, you have two options. You can purchase the Lectionary Viewer Addin for $19.95, or you can upgrade your base package to one of the latest and greatest. Visit our upgrade page to see your options.
If you have an older base package, upgrading is definitely the way to go. There are lots of resources and tools that you’re missing out on. See the 100 New Features in Logos Bible Software 3 and the Top 20 New Features.
Here’s an example of why upgrading is by far the better value. If you upgrade from Bible Study Library (QB) to Bible Study Library (ND), it will cost you only $39.90 (twice the price of the Lectionary Viewer Addin), but you will get—in addition to the Lectionary Viewer Addin—19 new resources, 2 new addins, and 3 new parallel passages! All of that for only $19.95 more!
If you already have the Lectionary Viewer Addin, visit the Lutheran Lectionaries page to get your new lectionaries. If you don’t, go check out your upgrade options.
Related Products:
- The Lectionary Commentary: Theological Exegesis for Sunday’s Texts (3 Vols.)
- Lectionary Reflections: Year C
- Preaching from the Lectionary: An Exegetical Commentary
Related Article:
The Ultimate Steal
| Mon, September 1, 2008 | Misc.
This doesn’t have much to do with Logos Bible Software, but it’s too good of a deal not to pass on to you.
Microsoft is again offering Office Ultimate 2007 for only $59.95! It retails at $679.95, so this is a savings of more than 91%.
Ultimate includes these 10 programs:
- Word 2007
- Excel 2007
- PowerPoint 2007
- Outlook 2007
- OneNote 2007
- Groove 2007
- Publisher 2007
- Access 2007
- InfoPath 2007
- Accounting Express 2008
That’s only $6 per program!
There are two stipulations for qualifying:
- You must have a .edu email address.
- “You must be a student at a U.S. educational institution and must be actively enrolled in at least 0.5 course credit and be able to provide proof of enrollment upon request.”
While there are a couple of good Office competitors out there, Office is still the standard and it integrates best with Logos (e.g., Bible reading schedules in Outlook, search results in Excel, and copying and pasting text with auto-citations into Word).
If you’re a student and don’t have Office, you should definitely give this a look.
Looks like starting September 8 you can also grab the upgrade to Vista Ultimate SP1 for only $64.95 (retails at $239.99).
Why Should Worship Leaders Have All the Pretty Graphics?
| Fri, August 29, 2008 | Misc.
Have you ever wished your sermons had the same visual excitement that your song lyrics have? Wouldn’t it be great if you could tie in all the pieces of your worship service with the same graphics and have one consistent look and feel throughout your entire service? Now you can!
PowerPointSermons.com offers the best resources available on the web to help pastors present professionally prepared PowerPoint sermons every week. For a reasonable yearly subscription rate, pastors from any denomination can find visual elements that will make the sermon the central focus of the worship service and help their congregation focus on the message in a way that enhances their learning experience.
We try hard to make Logos Bible Software the only tool you need for sermon preparation, so we have integrated the PowerPointSermons.com graphics with the Passage Guide results. When you use the Passage Guide to study a portion of Scripture, Logos will provide you with the essential tools and resources for preparing and presenting your sermon—including picking a selection of PowerPoint templates perfectly suited to your passage or topic.
The first few graphic sets you use are free, and if you decide to continue to use the service simply sign up for unlimited yearly access for your entire staff! No need to surf the web or use the same old template over and over. With PowerPoint Sermons integrated into Logos, you’ll always have something fresh, relevant, and attractive—and just a click away.
Watch the video below to see why your church should consider subscribing to PowerPoint Sermons.
(If you don’t see a video here, visit the blog post to watch it.)
For more information on PowerPoint Sermons integration in Logos, see the following:
Are You Running the Latest Version of Libronix?
| Wed, August 13, 2008 | Misc.
I was surprised when I saw some stats on the number of people not running the latest version of Libronix (i.e., 3.0e). The numbers are even more surprising when you consider that updating Libronix to the latest version is entirely free and very easy to do.
Who’s Up to Date (and Who’s Not)?
Most of you are running the latest version, but a sizable group are still running a version that has been outdated for months or even years. Here are the numbers.
Current Version | 70.89%
- 3.0e | 70.89%
Outdated Versions | 29.11%
- 3.0d | 18.16%
- 3.0c | 5.98%
- 3.0b | 2.29%
- 3.0 | 1.59%
- 3.0a | .93%
- Expired Betas | .16%
How to Find Out Which Version You Have
With Libronix opened, go to the “Help” menu and click “About Libronix DLS.”
You’ll find the version that you have installed right at the top towards the middle. If it doesn’t say 3.0e, it’s time to update.
How to Update
Updating to the latest version of Libronix is easy to do. There are (at least) five ways to do it:
- Update in Libronix: With Libronix opened, go to the “Tools” menu and click “Libronix Update.” Install all Required and Recommended items. If you have an internet connection, this is the easiest and best way to get updated.
- Update from Logos.com: You can also update to the latest version from our website: https://www.logos.com/support/downloads/ldls. Click the orange “Update” button and follow the instructions. (Or just run this script: https://www.logos.com/media/update/30eAutoUpdate.lbxupd.)
- Update from a Media Only DVD or CDs: If you’d rather not update via the internet, you can order a media only DVD (or CDs) to get the latest version of Libronix and of most of your book files.
- Upgrade Your Base Package: All of our base packages come with the latest version of Libronix, plus lots of new addins, tools, and resources! Visit https://www.logos.com/upgrade to see your upgrade options.
- Update from Any Recent Product: All CD/DVD products with an official release date after February 1, 2008 should include 3.0e on them. If you’ve purchased a new product recently or have one coming soon, you can update to 3.0e that way.
For a list of new features in 3.0e, see the previous post “Update to Libronix DLS 3.0e.”